EXHIBIT
4.15
GUARANTY
GUARANTY,
dated as of February 9, 2007 (this “ Guaranty
”), made by each of the undersigned (each, together with each
other Person who becomes a party to this Guaranty by execution of a
joinder in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto, a “
Guarantor ” and, collectively, the “
Guarantors ”), in favor of Prencen Lending LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (“ Prencen
”), Watershed Capital Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership, and Watershed Capital Institutional Partners, L.P., a
Delaware limited partnership (together, “ Watershed
”, and together with Prencen, the “ Lenders
” and each, a “ Lender ”).
W
I
T N E S S E T
H :
WHEREAS, Ascendia Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company ”) has authorized a new series of secured
convertible notes of the Company to be issued in accordance with
the Securities Purchase Agreement (as defined below);
WHEREAS, contemporaneously herewith, the Company, Prencen and the
other buyers identified on the signature pages thereof are entering
into that certain Third Amended and Restated Securities Purchase
Agreement of even date herewith (the “ Prencen Securities
Purchase Agreement ”), which will amend and restate the
Second Amended and Restated Securities Purchase Agreement, and
pursuant to which the Company will redeem $15,000,000 in aggregate
principal amount of the Amended Note (as defined in the Prencen
Securities Purchase Agreement) and the remaining $76,000,000 in
principal amount of the Amended Note will be surrendered to the
Parent and cancelled and a new note (the “Prencen
Note”) will be issued by the Parent to Prencen in the amount
of $76,000,000;
WHEREAS, contemporaneously herewith, the Company has agreed, upon
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in that certain
Securities Purchase Agreement of even date herewith (the “
Watershed Securities Purchase Agreement ”, together
with the Prencen Securities Purchase Agreement, individually and
collectively, the “ Securities Purchase Agreement
”), by and among the Company and Watershed, to issue and sell
to Watershed, a new series of secured convertible notes
(collectively, the “ Watershed Note ”, and
together with the Prencen Note, individually and collectively, the
“ Secured Note ”) in the aggregate amount of
$10,000,000;
WHEREAS,
as a condition to the Lenders acquiring the Secured Note, the
Lenders require that each of the Guarantors enter into this
Guaranty, and each of the undersigned Guarantors has determined
that its execution, delivery and performance of this Guaranty
directly benefits, and are within the company purposes and in the
best interests of, such Guarantor.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the agreements
herein each Guarantor hereby agrees with the Lenders as
follows:
SECTION
1. Definitions and Construction . Reference is hereby
made to the Secured Note for a statement of the terms thereof. All
terms used in this Guaranty that are defined in the Secured Note
and not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meanings
herein as set forth therein. In addition to those terms defined
elsewhere in this Agreement, as used in this Agreement, the
following terms shall have the following meanings:
“ Collateral ” has the meaning specified
therefor in the Security Agreement.
“ Material Adverse Effect ” has the meaning
specified therefor in Securities Purchase Agreement.
“ Required Lender Group ” has the meaning
specified therefor in the Security Agreement.
SECTION
2. The Guaranty
(a)
Guaranty of Guaranteed
Obligations . Each Guarantor jointly and severally with each
other and any subsequent guarantor hereby (i) unconditionally and
irrevocably guarantees, as a primary obligor and not merely as a
surety, the due and punctual payment in full when due to a Lender,
whether at stated maturity, by required prepayment, declaration,
acceleration, demand or otherwise, of all of the Obligations of the
Company to such Lender, now or hereafter existing under any
Transaction Document, whether for principal, interest (including,
without limitation, all capitalized interest and all interest that
accrues after the commencement of any proceeding commenced by or
against any Loan Party under any provision of the United States
Bankruptcy Code or under any other bankruptcy or insolvency law,
assignments for the benefit of creditors, formal or informal
moratoria, compositions, or extensions generally with creditors, or
proceedings seeking reorganization, arrangement or other similar
relief (each such proceeding, an “ Insolvency
Proceeding ”), irrespective of whether a claim therefor
is allowed in such Insolvency Proceeding), fees, commissions,
expense reimbursements, indemnifications or otherwise (such
obligations, to the extent not paid by the Company, being
the “ Guaranteed Obligations ”), and (ii)
agrees to pay any and all expenses (including reasonable counsel
fees and expenses) incurred by any of the Lenders or the Collateral
Agent in enforcing any of their rights under this Guaranty. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, each Guarantor’s
liability shall extend to all amounts that constitute part of the
Guaranteed Obligations and would be owed by the Company to a Lender
under the applicable Transaction Document but for the fact that
they are unenforceable or not allowable due to the existence of an
Insolvency Proceeding involving the Company.
(b)
Limitation on Amount Guaranteed;
Contribution by Guarantors. Anything contained in this Guaranty
to the contrary notwithstanding, if any Fraudulent Transfer Law (as
defined below) is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction
to be applicable to the obligations of any Guarantor under this
Guaranty, such obligations of such Guarantor hereunder shall be
limited to a maximum aggregate amount equal to the largest amount
that would not render its obligations hereunder subject to
avoidance as a fraudulent transfer or conveyance under Section 548
of the Bankruptcy Code or any applicable provisions of comparable
state law (collectively, the “ Fraudulent Transfer
Laws ”), in each case after giving effect to all other
liabilities of such Guarantor, contingent or otherwise, that are
relevant under the Fraudulent Transfer Laws (specifically
excluding, however, any liabilities of such Guarantor, (x) in
respect of intercompany Indebtedness to any other Guarantor, the
Company or their Affiliates to the extent that such Indebtedness
would be discharged in an amount equal to the amount paid
by
2
such
Guarantor hereunder and (y) under any guaranty of any subordinated
Indebtedness which guaranty contains a limitation as to maximum
amount similar to that set forth in this Section 2(b), pursuant to
which the liability of such Guarantor hereunder is included in the
liabilities taken into account in determining such maximum
amount).
SECTION
3. Guaranty Absolute; Continuing Guaranty; Assignments
.
(a) Each
Guarantor absolutely and unconditionally, jointly and severally
with each other and any subsequent guarantor hereby guarantees that
the Guaranteed Obligations will be paid strictly in accordance with
the terms of the Transaction Documents, regardless of any law,
regulation or order now or hereafter in effect in any jurisdiction
affecting any of such terms or the rights of the Lenders with
respect thereto. The obligations of each Guarantor under this
Guaranty are independent of the Guaranteed Obligations, and a
separate action or actions may be brought and prosecuted against
each Guarantor to enforce such obligations, irrespective of whether
any action is brought against the Company or any other Guarantor
(each a “ Loan Party ” and together the “
Loan Parties ”) or whether any Loan Party is joined in
any such action or actions. In furtherance of the foregoing and
without limiting the generality thereof, each Guarantor agrees as
follows; provided , that nothing contained herein shall
amend, contradict or alter any rights or obligations that any
Guarantor, the Company or any Lender may have under the Secured
Note or related documents or any term or provision
thereof:
(i) This Guaranty is
a guaranty of payment when due and not of
collectibility.
(ii) With the
consent of the Required Lender Group, the Lenders and/or the
Collateral Agent (on behalf of the Lenders) may enforce this
Guaranty upon the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event
of Default under the Secured Note notwithstanding the existence of
any dispute between the Company and any Lender with respect to the
existence of such Event of Default.
(iii) Payment by any
Guarantor of a portion, but not all, of the Guaranteed Obligations
shall in no way limit, affect, modify or abridge any
Guarantor’s liability for any portion of the Guaranteed
Obligations which has not been paid. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, if any Lender is awarded a judgment in
any suit brought to enforce any Guarantor’s covenant to pay a
portion of the Guaranteed Obligations, such judgment shall not be
deemed to release such Guarantor from its covenant to pay the
portion of the Guaranteed Obligations that is not the subject of
such suit, and such judgment shall not, except to the extent
satisfied by such Guarantor, limit, affect, modify or abridge any
other Guarantor’s liability hereunder in respect of the
Guaranteed Obligations.
(iv) Should a
Guarantor (other than Lander Co. Canada Limited or Cenuco, Inc.)
become insolvent, fail to pay its debts generally as they become
due, voluntarily seek, consent to, or acquiesce in the benefits of
any debtor relief law or become a party to or be made the subject
of any proceeding provided for by any debtor relief law (other than
as a creditor or claimant) that could suspend or otherwise
adversely affect the rights of the Lenders hereunder, then, the
Guaranteed Obligations shall be, as between such Guarantor and the
Lenders, a fully matured, due, and payable obligation of the
Guarantor to the Lenders, payable in full by the
3
Guarantor
to the Lenders upon demand, which obligations shall be an amount
equal to the estimated amount owing in respect of the contingent
claim created hereunder as reasonably estimated by the Lenders
unless the petition or application described above which was filed
or commenced against the Guarantor is dismissed within 60 days from
the date of filing.
(b)
The liability of each Guarantor under
this Guaranty shall be irrevocable, absolute and unconditional
irrespective of, and each Guarantor hereby irrevocably waives, any
defenses it may now or hereafter have in any way relating to, any
or all of the following:
(i) any illegality
or lack of validity or enforceability of the Guaranteed
Obligations, any Transaction Document or any agreement or
instrument relating thereto;
(ii) any change in
the time, manner or place of payment of, or in any other term of,
all or any of the Guaranteed Obligations, or any other rescission,
amendment or waiver of or any consent to departure from any
Transaction Document, including, without limitation, any increase
in the Guaranteed Obligations resulting from the extension of
additional credit to any Loan Party or otherwise;
(iii) any taking,
exchange, release or non-perfection of any Collateral, or any
taking, release or amendment or waiver of or consent to departure
from any other guaranty, for all or any of the Guaranteed
Obligations;
(iv) the existence
of any claim, set-off, defense or other right that the Guarantors
may have at any time against any Person, including, without
limitation, the Lenders;
(v) any change,
restructuring or termination of the corporate or company structure
or existence of any Loan Party;
(vi) any failure or
omission to assert or enforce or agreement or election not to
assert or enforce, or the stay or enjoining, by order of court, by
operation of law or otherwise, of the exercise or enforcement of,
any claim or demand or any right, power or remedy (whether arising
under the Transaction Documents, at law, in equity or otherwise)
with respect to the Guaranteed Obligations or any agreement
relating thereto, or with respect to any other guaranty of or
security for the payment of the Guaranteed Obligations;
(vii) the
application of payments received from any source (other than
payments received pursuant to the Transaction Documents or from the
proceeds of any security for the Guaranteed Obligations, except to
the extent such security also serves as collateral for Indebtedness
other than the Guaranteed Obligations) to the payment of
Indebtedness other than the Guaranteed Obligations, even though any
Lender might have elected to apply such payment to any part or all
of the Guaranteed Obligations; or
(viii) any other
circumstance (including, without limitation, any statute of
limitations) or any existence of or reliance on any representation
by the Lenders that might otherwise constitute a defense available
to, or a discharge of, any Loan Party or any other guarantor or
surety other than payment in full of all Guaranteed
Obligations.
4
This
Guaranty shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the
case may be, if at any time any payment of any of the Guaranteed
Obligations is rescinded or must otherwise be returned by the
Lenders or any other Person upon the insolvency, bankruptcy or
reorganization of any Loan Party or otherwise, all as though such
payment had not been made.
(c)
This Guaranty is a continuing
guaranty and shall (i) remain in full force and effect until the
cash payment in full of all of the Guaranteed Obligations and all
other amounts payable under this Guaranty, (ii) be binding upon
each Guarantor, its successors and assigns and (iii) inure to the
benefit of and be enforceable by each Lender (subject to the
limitations set forth in the Transaction Documents) and its
permitted successors, pledgees, transferees and assigns. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing clause (iii), except
as otherwise provided in the Transaction Documents, any Lender may
pledge, assign or otherwise transfer all or any portion of its
rights and obligations under the Secured Note or any Transaction
Document (including, without limitation, all or any portion of the
Obligations owing to it) to any other Person, and such other Person
shall thereupon become vested with all the benefits in respect
thereof granted to such Lender herein or otherwise, in each case as
provided in the Secured Note and Transaction Documents.
SECTION
4. Waivers . Each Guarantor hereby waives
(i) promptness and diligence, (ii) notice of acceptance
and any other notice with respect to any of the Guaranteed
Obligations and this Guaranty and any requirement that the Lenders
exhaust any right or take any action against any Loan Party or any
other Person or any Collateral, (iii) any right to compel or
direct any Lender to seek payment or recovery of any amounts owed
under this Guaranty from any one particular fund or source or to
exhaust any right or take any action against any other Loan Party
or any other Person or any Collateral, (iv) any requirement
that any Lender protect, secure, perfect or insure any security
interest or Lien on any property subject thereto, or exhaust any
right or take any action against any Loan Party or any other Person
or any Collateral and (v) any other defense available to any
Guarantor. Each Guarantor agrees that the Lenders shall have no
obligation to marshall any assets in favor of such Guarantor or
against, or in payment of, any or all of the Obligations. Each
Guarantor acknowledges that it will receive direct and indirect
benefits from the financing arrangements contemplated herein and in
the Secured Note and that the waiver set forth in this
Section 4 is knowingly made in contemplation of such benefits.
Each Guarantor hereby waives any right to revoke this Guaranty, and
acknowledges that this Guaranty is continuing in nature and applies
to all Guaranteed Obligations, whether existing now or in the
future.
SECTION
5. Subrogation; Subordination of Other Obligations
.
(a)
No Guarantor will exercise any rights
that it may now or hereafter acquire against any Loan Party or any
other guarantor that arise from the existence, payment, performance
or enforcement of such Guarantor’s obligations under this
Guaranty, including, without limitation, any right of subrogation,
reimbursement, exoneration, contribution or indemnification and any
right to participate in any claim or remedy of the Lenders against
any Loan Party or any other guarantor or any Collateral, whether or
not such claim, remedy or right arises in equity or under contract,
statute or common law, including, without limitation, the right to
take or receive from any Loan Party or any other guarantor,
directly or indirectly, in cash or other property or by set-off or
in any other manner, payment or security solely on account
of
5
such
claim, remedy or right, unless and until all of the Guaranteed
Obligations and all other amounts payable under this Guaranty shall
have been paid in full in cash. If any amount shall be paid to any
Guarantor in violation of the immediately preceding sentence at any
time prior to